Elicia and Cross
by DJMirnum
Summary: Cross is an experiment gone wrong and is considered an abomination. Elicia is a strange little girl that no one can understand. What happens when these two become friends? Based off Lilo and Stich
1. Chapter 1

**This can sort of be an AU type of thing. I'm not sure; please enjoy!**

In the heart of Amestris' capital, a court martial was being held. The High Council was gathered in the great hall surrounded by high ranking officials and other officers. Two security officers lead a man in with his hands and feet in chains before them.  
"Come on guys, can I at least get a cigarette?" No answer from the officers. "Sheesh, can't let a guy have a smoke before he gets smoked."  
A hush then came over the room when the leader of the High Council stepped forward to the podium. Her blonde hair covering half of her face but there was no mistaking the angry brow underneath. Her assistant Sciezka, followed close behind making sure that everything was to her boss' standards.  
"Read the charges," she bellowed to a big burly man with a blond mustache.  
"Dr. Jean Havoc! Lead scientist of Amestris' Defense Corp. You stand before this council accused of illegal alchemic experimentation!"  
The great hall erupted in angry shouting as two other security officers brought a covered container.  
"How do you plead," the High Councilwoman cried.  
"Look lady, this crime that you're accusing me of has no basis. The experiments were only theoretical and completely within legal boundaries."  
"It has been brought to our attention that you actually created something," said another member of the Council. Another blonde with her hair up in a tight bun named Riza Hawkeye.  
"Created?! HAHAHA! Are you kidding me?! Do you really think I'm that irresponsible?! I would never, ever…" The container next to him opened to reveal a creature that looked neither human nor animal. "Make more than one?"  
The creature snarled and growled at the crowd as they recoiled in fear and disgust.  
"What is that monstrosity," cried the burly, blonde mustached man.  
"Wha?! Good sir! What you are looking at is the first of a new species. I call it, Experiment 101. He's bullet proof, fire proof, smarter than anything or anyone and can lift objects 100,000 times his own weight! He's practically indestructible!"  
"So it is a monster," said the High Councilwoman.  
"Yeah, but look at how small he is though," said Dr. Jean Havoc.  
"It is an affront to nature and therefore must be destroyed Councilwoman Armstrong," cried the mustached man.  
"Calm yourself Captain Armstrong, perhaps it can be reasoned with," said Council member Riza.  
"Don't be ridiculous, Riza! We have to destroy it," the captain answered back.  
"Enough," the High Councilwoman exclaimed. "I've heard just about all I can from you Havoc. Does your "creation" understand what is happening here? Does it know what we plan to do with it?"  
"Well, I will ask him." He turned his attention to his creation. "Hey buddy, these people here don't want you around. What do you think of that?"  
The creature looked at Havoc and then looked at everyone else.  
"Up yours," it cried in a scratchy voice.  
The High Councilwoman became infuriated and the rest of the hall descended into chaos.  
"I didn't teach him that," said Havoc.  
"Place that idiot scientist under arrest," cried Captain Armstrong.  
The two security officers who escorted Havoc in proceeded to lead him out.  
"I prefer to be called EVIL GENIUS," he cried as he was being dragged away.  
"And as for that abomination, it is the flawed product of a deranged mind. It has no place among us. Captain Armstrong, take it away," said High Councilwoman Armstrong.  
"With pleasure," he replied.

Later, Captain Armstrong lead the creature in chains to a train filled with other members of the military. The creature was then shoved into a metal car and chained to the walls, floor and ceiling. It snarled and growled at the discomfort it felt, although it wasn't garnering much sympathy from the Captain or the other soldiers.  
"Uncomfortable? Aw, good! The High Council has decided to banish you to the far reaches of Ishbala. So just relax and enjoy the trip. And don't get any ideas; these officers are the most expert marksman in the military. They won't shoot anyone but you." When the Captain pointed at the creature, it bit his finger hard. "AH! Why you!"  
"Ahem, may I remind you that the Captain is on duty," replied a solider.  
"Secure the car!"  
"Aye, sir!"  
The Captain made his way to the engine where Officers Denny Brosh and Maria Ross were manning the controls.  
"Pull ahead full Brosh." A brief pause and he approached Maria with his just bitten finger. "Does this look infected to you?"  
The train began to move and after a few hours, the creature began to convulse and foam at the mouth much to the disdain of the soldiers. Soon, the creature stopped moving, eyes remained wide open and mouth as well. The other soldiers looked at each other not sure of what to do. One of them approached the creature and poked it with his gun.  
"I think it's dead," he said.  
"You think, or you know," asked another.  
"Well, we might as well unchain it so we can properly bury it later," said another soldier.  
"I better inform the Captain," said another soldier as he went over to the intercom.  
They began to unchain the creature while the other soldier called the Captain.  
"Captain, this is the prisoner transport."  
"Yes," Captain Armstrong replied.  
"It appears that the creature…"  
Suddenly the creature sprang back to life and everyone started to fire their guns.  
"What's happening," yelled the Captain.  
"He's loose!"  
"Don't let it escape! Seal off every door on this train!"  
The creature ran past the guards as if it was nothing and began to make its way up the train. Another guard pulled out his radio.  
"Security to Bridge! He's made his way to the third car!"  
"Stop him! That car has a…!"  
A crash was then heard and out the window they could see a jeep speeding away.  
"How can it drive," asked Maria.  
"Stop the train! And radio Central," bellowed the Captain.  
Back at Central, when word reached High Councilwoman Armstrong, she headed straight for the Command Unit with Sciezka running behind with papers in her hands.  
"WHERE IS IT," she screamed as she kicked the door in.  
"It's still on the move!"  
"Does anyone know what direction it's headed?"  
"It's headed toward East City."  
"Are you sure?"  
"The tracking on the car says so!"  
"Radio the General in charge and let him know the situation immediately," Councilwoman Armstrong exclaimed. She sat down to take a breath while Sciezka brought her some tea.  
"Here you are ma'am. You shouldn't let this get you so stressed."  
"When there isn't an abomination on the loose, talk to me again about stress. Fuery! What's going on with East City!"  
"They've intercepted the jeep ma'am, but…"  
"But?!"  
"The creature wasn't there."  
"WHAT?!"  
"It appears it got off somewhere just before reaching East City."  
"Send out a whole unit! I don't care just catch it!"  
"Uh, ma'am; I would advise against that."  
"What was that Breda?!"  
"Well, I'm only saying that sending out a unit would be too big and might cause panic! A smaller squad would be better," Breda cried cowering in fear.  
Councilwoman Armstrong considered his suggestion and unfurred her brow. "Excellent, you just volunteered yourself to lead it."  
"Uh, ma'am?"  
"Fuery! You will accompany him!"  
"I will?"  
"But ma'am; the two of us alone won't be enough. We need at least two other people," said Breda.  
"Council member Riza Hawkeye will go with you. And as for your other member; meet me at the prison," she said as she walked out.  
Breda and Fuery just looked at each other. Later, Havoc we speaking with a visitor.  
"You shouldn't have come," Havoc said.  
"I'm only looking out for our investment," said the visitor.  
"When I agreed to help you with your experiments you had assured me that we wouldn't get found out."  
"Hey, you were the one who got caught and just about ruined everything! Luckily for you, our little friend made an escape. And according to our source in the Command Unit, there's a special team going to look for it. And you'll be going, too."  
"What? How do you know that?"  
"Cause Councilwoman Armstrong is on her way to see you. I'm going to follow behind you. Try to make your way to Resembol if you can."  
"Why?"  
"Just do it. I better leave before she gets here."  
The visitor gets up just as the guard was about to come in to tell him to leave.  
"Time's up."  
"Thanks for coming," said Havoc.  
"Anything for my brother," said the visitor with a white scar on his face. Not long after, Councilwoman Armstrong came in with Sciezka.  
"Enjoying your stay?"  
"Oh yeah, it's great! Bruno's gonna teach the block the Electric Slide!"  
"Can the sarcasm Havoc; I'm sure you know why I am here?"  
"Let me guess, you're upgrading me to first class?"  
"I swear if you say one more quip!"  
"Ma'am, please calm down. You are on duty," said Sciezka.  
The Councilwoman immediately, relaxed and continued once more.  
"Your science project escaped my idiot brother who somehow made Captain and is loose somewhere in the Eastern Area. And you are going to help find it and bring it back. In exchange for the creature, you will be released."  
This made Sciezka dart forward.  
"Ma'am! You can't make a decision like that without consulting the rest of the council!"  
"Silence! In certain cases, I can make a decision like that when the well-being of Amestris is at stake! Now, Havoc; what say you?"  
"Well, 101 won't come easily. We're gonna need some heavy artillery to get the job done."  
"Fine, you can use whatever you want. Do we have an agreement?"  
"You got it!"  
Councilwoman Armstrong pulled Sciezka aside.  
"I need you to accompany them."  
"What?!"  
"I need you to be my eyes and ears. Let me know if anything fishy happens. I am counting on you."  
She then made her leave. Havoc came over and draped his arm around Sciezka.  
"So, you and I are gonna be a team then? Where's the rest of them?"  
"Right here," said Riza.  
Havoc let out a gulp. Sciezka and Fuery were easy to fool; Breda may overlook somethings, but not the Hawkeye.  
"This is gonna be harder than I thought," Havoc thought to himself.  
"So, where should we start," asked Fuery.  
"I hear Resembol's lovely this time of year," said Havoc.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a beautiful day in Resembool. Clear skies and a slight breeze; a good day to go swimming according to one little light brown haired girl. She raced down the path to the lake and dove in with a sandwich in her hand. She swam till she spotted the fish she was looking for. She passed it on to him and he swam away with it in his mouth. She quickly swam back to the surface to get air and back to the bank to rest a bit. Wrapped in a towel she laid down in the grass. After a while, she checked her watch and nearly screamed when she saw what time it was.  
"Oh, my gosh! I'm late!"  
She quickly gathered her things and raced towards town. She rounded the corner to a small dance studio, really the only dance studio, and went in the back door. She quickly put on her outfit and joined the rest of the girls, hoping the teacher wouldn't notice her late arrival. Unfortunately, due to her not being completely dried off from her swimming, one of the girls in line slipped on a puddle and caused a chain reaction to make them fall. This definitely got the teachers attention and she calmly approached the one who didn't fall.  
"Elicia, why are you wet?"  
"It's sandwich day Ms. Rose." Rose looked at her confused so Elicia sighed and proceeded to explain. "Every Thursday I take Krog the fish a peanut butter sandwich and today we were out of peanut butter so I asked my sister what to give him and she said a tuna sandwich. I can't give Krog tuna! Do you know what tuna is?"  
"Fish," replied Rose.  
"It's fish! If I gave Krog tuna I'd be an abomination! I'm late cause I had to go to the store cause all we have is tuna!"  
"Elicia, why is this so important?"  
"Krog controls the weather," Elicia said as matter of factory.  
Everyone else just stared, not sure of what to say. Except for one girl with with pink hair and glasses.  
"You're crazy," she said.  
Instantly, Elicia jumped on top of her and began to slap and kick. Rose quickly grabbed Elicia to separate them.  
"Everyone calm down!" The pink haired girl quickly ran behind Rose while Rose put Elicia down. She looked at Elicia disappointingly. "Elicia."  
"I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"  
"I better call your sister now."  
"No I'll be good! I promise! Please let me dance."  
"Ewww, she bit me," cried the pink haired girl. The other girls gave similar responses. Soon, class was over and the other girls ran past Elicia, who was asked to sit outside for the remainder of the lesson. Rose came out and sat next to her.  
"I called your sister and she wants you to wait here for her. You can come back next week but I expect you to be on time and on your best behavior."  
"Yes, ma'am."  
Rose went back inside and Elicia began to follow the other girls who had crowded around the pink haired girl.  
"Does this look infected to you?" They quickly realized she was close by. "You better not have rabies," the pink haired girl snarled.  
Elicia noticed the girls had dolls in their hands.  
"Are you gonna play dolls?"  
The other girls quickly hid them behind their backs.  
"You don't have a doll," one of them replied.  
Elicia pulled out an orange doll with an over-sized head, stringy red hair and button eyes that didn't match.  
"This is Grunt! I made her, but her head is too big. So I pretend a bug laid eggs in her ear and she's upset because she only has a few days to..."  
Unbeknownst to Elicia, the other girls had already ran off. Elicia slammed the doll down on the ground and stomped off. But then quickly came and scooped it up and hugged it; her way of apologizing to it and proceeded down the path. Later, her sister Winry showed up. They weren't blood related but they spent so much time together that most people assumed they were. Winry had lost her parents when she was young and Elicia lost her dad too. Winry had been raised by her grandmother and Elicia by her mother. Unfortunately, both Winry's grandmother and Elicia's mother passed away fairly recently and it only seemed logical for Winry to take Elicia in; that is if the state has anything to say about it. When she realized that Elicia wasn't there she ran straight home hoping she would be there.  
"When I get my hands on that little," she muttered to herself and then she saw a car heading toward her. She jumped out of the way just as the car screeched to a halt.  
"Hey! Watch it," she yelled as she kicked the front end causing a dent. "Stupid head!"  
She continued onward not noticing the sunglasses wearing man in the driver seat. She made it home and tried to open the door but couldn't.  
"Elicia! Open the door!"  
"Go away," Elicia yelled through the door.  
Winry poked her head in through the dog door to see Elicia laid out on the floor with a record player playing sad sounding music.  
"Elicia! We don't have time for this!"  
"Leave me alone to die."  
"Come on, the social worker will be here any minute!"  
Elicia proceeded to turn the volume up on the music and that made Winry even more angry. She managed to unlock the door, but that proved to be futile when she saw nails in the door as well. She looked around and spotted the hammer and proceeded to pry the nails off.  
"You are so gonna get it when I get these nails off! I'm gonna stuff you in a blender, push purée and then bake you into a pie and feed it to the social worker and when he eats it, he's gonna say, 'hmmm, this is great what's your secret,' and I am gonna say..." Winry felt someone pull her back and she was soon staring at the social worker. "Love," she said more sweetly. "And nurturing." She quickly dropped the hammer. "Hi! You must be the..."  
"The stupid head," he replied.  
"Oh...oooooh! I am really sorry about that, if I had known who you were of course I never would have...I'll pay for the damage."  
"It's a company car. Are you the guardian in question?"  
"Yes, I'm Winry. Nice to meet you Mister?"  
"Mustang. Now, are you going to invite me in, Winry?"  
"Uh, why don't we sit out here and talk."  
"Nice try."  
"Right. Ummm, this way?"  
Winry pointed to the left and she led him to the back door which was also locked.  
"Can you just wait right there?"  
She proceeded further around and found an open window. After she climbed in, she went to turn off Elicia's music, much to Elicia's disdain, and then opened the back for for Mr. Mustang.  
"So, would you like some lemonade?"  
"Do you often leave your sister alone," he asked as he walked in toward the kitchen.  
"No, never." She then noticed a picture Elicia drew of herself in a corner with the words "I'm alone" on the fridge. "Well, except for just now," she said as she jumped in front of it before he could see it. "I had to run to the store to get..."  
She then noticed a pot boiling over and quickly turned everything off.  
"You left the stove on while you were out?"  
"Low heat. Just a simmer."  
"Found that this morning," said Elicia as she came into the kitchen.  
"Oh there you are, honey face. This is Mr. Mustang."  
"Nice to meet you," he said getting down to Elicia's level.  
"You don't look like a social worker."  
"I take on special cases."  
"Have you ever killed anyone?"  
"We're getting off the subject. Let's talk about, are you happy?"  
Elicia smiled big.  
"I'm adjusted, I eat four food groups daily and look both ways before crossing the street."  
Behind Mustang, Winry was mouthing what to say to Elicia.  
"I take long naps. And get disciplined?"  
Winry winced.  
"Disciplined," said Mustang suspiciously.  
"Yeah, she disciplines me a lot. Sometimes five times a day." Winry winced again. "With bricks."  
"Bricks?"  
"Uh-huh, and a pillow case."  
"Ok, no more sugar for you. Why don't you go relax for a bit. You little cutie," she said through gritted teeth. "Heh, the other social workers thought she was just a scream. So how about that lemonade?"  
"Let me enlighten you to the dangerous situation in which you have found yourself in," said Mustang as he took off his sunglasses. "I am the one they call when things go wrong. And they certainly have."  
Mustang made his way to the living room to find Elicia surrounded by spoons with faces on them with grass skirts, a jar of pickles and a voodoo book. She took the spoons and placed them in the pickle jar, closed the lid and shook it. Mustang perked an eyebrow as Elicia turned to him and said in a deadpan voice, "my friends need to be punished."  
He turned to Winry who could only just glare and groan. He knelt down and gave Elicia his card.  
"Call me next time you are here alone."  
"Sure," she said taking it while not looking away.  
Mustang then made his way to the front door.  
"In case you were wondering, this did not go well," he said as he pulled the door open despite it being nailed shut. "You have three days to change my mind."  
The moment he slammed it shut, Winry turned an angry look to Elicia. Elicia screamed and ran away with Winry chasing after her. When Winry caught her, Elicia licked her arm and left a lot of slobber. Winry recoiled in disgust and Elicia made her escape. Winry waited and listened; she heard the sound of the dryer door open and shut. Winry grabbed a big towel and laid it in front of the dryer, climbed on top and proceeded to open the back door nearby and then shut it with her foot. Soon, the dryer door opened and Elicia climbed out onto the towel on the floor. Winry sneaked by her and grabbed the edges of the towel and wrapped Elicia up and carried her back into the living room while Elicia kicked and screamed. She let out a hiss when Winry released her and grabbed her arm.  
"Why didn't you wait at the school?! You were supposed to wait there! Do you understand?! Do you want to be taken away?!"  
Elicia was close to tears now. She obviously didn't want that but she couldn't communicate it.  
"Answer me," Winry yelled.  
"NO!"  
"No, you don't understand?!"

"NO!"  
"No, what?!"  
"NOOOOOOOOO," Elicia cried as she fell on her face to the floor and began to mumble.  
"UGH! You're such a pain," Winry said exasperated.  
"So why don't you just sell me and buy a rabbit instead," Elicia retorted.  
"At least a rabbit would behave better than you!"  
"Yeah! And it will be smarter than me, too," Elicia yelled as she went up the stairs to her room.  
"And quieter!"  
"And you'll like it cause it's stinky like you," Elicia yelled as she slammed the door.  
"GO TO YOUR ROOM!"  
"I'm already in my room," Elicia.  
Winry then proceeded to pick up a couch cushion and began to scream into it; around the same time that Elicia was screaming into her pillow. A few hours later, Winry came in with a plate of food.  
"Hey, I got some chicken strips with mac n cheese. You hungry?"  
"We're a broken family aren't we," Elicia said playing with Grunt.  
"No. Well, maybe?" Winry then sighed. "Maybe a lot. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."  
"We're sisters; it's our job."  
"Well, from now on," Winry began till Elicia interrupted.  
"I liked you better as a sister than my mom."  
"You do?"  
"And you like better as a sister than a rabbit right," Elicia sniffed.  
Winry immediately felt guilt over that statement. She quickly placed the plate of food down, climbed into the bed and snuggled Elicia.  
"Yeah, I do honey. I do."  
"I hit Sarah Reynolds today."  
"You hit her?"  
"Before I bit her."  
"You bit; Elicia, that's no way to behave."  
"People treat me differently."  
"They just don't know what to say. I'll make you a deal. If you promise not to fight anymore, I promise to not yell at you; except for special occasions."  
"Like Tuesdays and Bank Call Days?"  
"I think I could work with that," said Winry as she began tickling Elicia. Elicia then grabbed her camera.  
"Oh, I filled it up again! Aren't they amazing," she said in regards to her fungus collection. Winry was not looking forward to getting these developed. She always encouraged Elicia to pursue lots of different things but the looks she got from the clerks were not enjoyable. Elicia's new photography obsession involved very candid shots of people.  
"Ok, kiddo. It's time for bed," said Winry as she began to tuck Elicia in. "Don't forget to pray."  
Winry turned on the night light and walked out. Elicia lay in her bed in silence, thinking about what she'd pray for. Then, she closed her eyes and began.  
"It's me again. I need someone to be my friend; someone who won't run away. Can you send me an angle? The nicest and prettiest one you have? I'd be really happy if you could do that."  
Outside, Winry heard Elicia's prayer and did her best to fight back her tears. She then decided that tomorrow, she was going to solve that problem.


	3. Chapter 3

**UGH! Finally! Soooooooo sorry for the long wait!**

Later that evening, the creature that escaped the military train darted back and forth down alleys and streets to avoid being seen. It didn't plan to stick around forever; it had to keep moving or it would get captured. It looked for a long time to find another suitable form of transportation. When it ran out into the street, it didn't notice a huge truck coming toward it. At the last second, someone grabbed it before it got hit. He looked down at whatever animal he thought it was.  
"Hey, what are you anyway? Some type of dog?"  
The creature passed out, probably from shock. The Good Samaritan quickly took the "dog" to the nearest animal hospital.  
The next morning, the creature woke up to find itself in a kennel. It growled as it paced the enclosure. Another cage was the last place it wanted to be. Then, it heard voices coming from the next room.  
"Hello," said Winry.  
"Hi there, Winry! What brings you and Elicia here today," exclaimed the clerk.  
Winry had taken Elicia to Risembool's animal shelter to pick out a new friend.  
"Well, we were thinking about a dog. Something that can defend itself; something sturdy."  
"Like a lobster," yelled Elicia.  
Winry rolled her eyes. "Elicia, do we have a lobster door? No, we have a dog door. Therefore, we're getting a dog."  
Unbeknownst to them, the creature managed to sneak out and tried to make a run for it. However, it sensed that something was wrong. Then, one, two, three bullets wiped by it and it ducked behind a rock. It then picked up some scents. A few it didn't recognize but there was one that it knew for sure.  
"Havoc," it squeaked out.  
"Dang! I can't believe I missed," hissed Havoc.  
"Well, if you would have let Ms. Riza fire we would have it," hissed Sheska back.  
Havoc, Fuery, Sheska and Breda were hiding in some bushes nearby when they heard a strange looking "dog" was brought to the shelter.  
"Why isn't Councilwoman Riza here anyway," asked Fuery.  
"She doesn't know that we're here," said Breda.  
"WHAT," cried Sheska who was immediately shushed by the others. "I have to notify her immediately!"  
"Don't! Not yet! If anyone's gonna get credit for this it's me," said Havoc.  
"I figured you wouldn't want any more publicity considering certain events," said a stern voice behind the group.  
They turned to see Riza standing with her arms crossed.  
"Ms. Riza," cried Sheska as she stood up. "I am so sorry for not reporting to you! I was dragged out here against my will!"  
"Enough. I'll only overlook this if from here on out, I take all the shots. Is that clear, Havoc?"  
Meanwhile, the creature managed to sneak back into the shelter, thinking the cage sounded better than getting shot. Back at the front, the clerk motioned for Elicia to walk around the kennel till she found one. As Elicia left, someone else walked in. A young man with a blond braid and black clothes and boots. Winry recognized him immediately.  
"Hey Ed!"  
"Hey Winry! What are you doing here?"  
"Getting a dog for Elicia."  
"Still having problems making friends," he asked with concern.  
"Yeah, I'm hoping a dog would help. So why are you here?"  
"Oh, I saved a dog from almost getting run over last night and I heard he was brought here."  
"Oh yes, thank you young man. I hadn't seen it since it was dropped off though. I'm sure he's ok now."  
Meanwhile, Elicia continued to walk around looking at the other dogs trying to find the right one. She finally came to the creature and she was mesmerized by it. It was so strange and weird looking; she loved it.  
"Hi," she said with a smile.  
The creature looked at her; for some reason it smiled back and squeaked out a "hi" as well.  
"Do you want to come home with me?"  
It thought about it for a minute. If it pretended to be a pet; it could be safe from the military long enough to run away later, so it nodded its head and followed Elicia back to the front.  
"Oh yes, all of our dogs are adoptable," said the clerk to Winry and Ed. Then, they noticed the creature next to Elicia. "Except that one!"  
Winry quickly grabbed Elicia and Ed stood protectively in front of them while the clerk grabbed the creature.  
"What is that thing," exclaimed Winry.  
"A dog, I think," said the clerk.  
"Wait, was that what I saved last night," cried Ed.  
"You saved that," cried Winry.  
"It was dark! I didn't get a good look at it," said Ed.  
"I like him," said Elicia enthusiastically. "Come here boy!"  
The creature started to walk toward Elicia while still in the clerk's arms. Winry quickly dodged the creature as Ed did his best to hold it back.  
"Wouldn't you rather have a different dog," asked Ed.  
"There's better dogs back in the kennel," said the clerk.  
"Not better than him! He can talk! Say hello!"  
"He-he-he…"  
"Dogs can't talk," said the clerk.  
"But he did."  
"Does it have to be this one," said Winry.  
The creature sniffed and then picked his nose and ate whatever it pulled out. This disgusted everyone else but not Elicia.  
"Yes, he's good. I can tell."  
After everyone got up, the creature scampered his way to a window to see if he could spot Havoc. Ed and Winry were talking to the clerk while Elicia went to see what the creature was trying to look at.  
"So what's gonna be his name," asked Ed.  
"Cross," said Elicia with determination.  
"But that's not a real name," the clerk began. But Ed and Winry shook their heads to get the clerk to not finish that sentence. "In, Central; but here it's a good name. Cross it is. There's a two dollar license fee as well."  
"I got this Winry," said Ed as he pulled two dollars out.  
"Oh, Ed you don't you have to."  
"It's fine," he said with a kind smile that made Winry blush.  
"Hey! I wanna buy him," yelled Elicia while pulling Ed's pants leg. "Hey, Ed?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Can I borrow two dollars?"  
Ed then gave Elicia the money who then turned and gave it back to him to pay the clerk.  
"He's all yours," said the clerk as she stamped the certificate.  
Back outside, Fuery was using thermal binoculars.  
"He's inside; there's about…three adults and one child. I think the best thing to do is to lure it out and separate it from them."  
"How are we gonna do that," asked Sheska.  
"Shhhh! Will you be quiet! He's listening for us," said Havoc in a hushed tone.  
A few moments passed by till Sheska spoke up again.  
"How good is its hearing?"  
She was promptly shushed by Fuery placing his hand over her mouth. Soon, they noticed the creature walk out. This was Riza's chance to strike; she lined up her shot.  
"Why won't he run," Havoc wondered.  
Suddenly, the creature made a barking noise. Elicia bounded toward it; Sheska's eyes went wide and leapt toward Riza.  
"NO!"  
Sheska had knocked Riza's rifle up toward the sky.  
"YOU ALMOST HIT A CHILD!"  
"Will you be quiet," hissed Breda.  
"I think I know not to shoot a civilian," said Riza giving her a stern look.  
"I'm sorry I panicked," said Sheska as she hung her head in shame.  
Meanwhile, Ed, Winry and the clerk went to see what all the noise was about. When they saw nothing, the clerk scolded it.  
"Bad dog, barking at nothing."  
"Well, I guess we better get going," said Winry.  
"I'll see you later then," said Ed.  
They went their separate ways while Riza and the others planned their next move.  
"It will be harder to capture it now," said Riza.  
"I say we split up. One group does surveillance while the rest of us figure out a way to prevent it from escaping," said Breda.  
"Why do we need to keep it from escaping," asked Sheska.  
"He means keep it from leaving this town," said Fuery.  
"He's right. If it somehow manages to leave Risembol, who knows where it will go. Sheska, you are with me. The rest of you, find a way to capture that thing," ordered Riza.  
"But, we're in uniform! People are gonna know who we are," said Sheska.  
"That's why we wear regular clothes," said Riza exasperated.  
Meanwhile, even further away; the same man with the scar on his face and another were listening in.  
"What do you think we should do now," said a gray haired man.  
"Let them do all the dirty work. And when the time is right, we grab it and make for Xing."  
"With Riza though, that might be hard to do."  
"Let's hope some kind of distraction will come along," said the scared faced man.


	4. Chapter 4

After they left the shelter, Winry gave Elicia some money and told her to be on her best behavior while she went to work.

"You come straight to my work for lunch ok?"

"Ok. What about Cross?"

Winry just rolled her eyes and went on her way. Then, Cross started to growl. Elicia looked and saw the same group of girls from her dance class.

"My friends," she cried as she ran towards them.

They spotted her and tried to get away but Elicia stood in front of them blocking their path.

"What do you want," the pink haired glasses wearing girl snarled.

"I'm sorry I bit you. And pulled your hair. And punched you in the face."

"Apology not accepted."

That's when Cross walked behind Elicia causing the other girls to scream.

"Look! I gotta new dog! His name is Cross!"

"That is the ugliest thing I have ever seen," said the pink haired girl in disgust. Her other friends agreed. Suddenly, Cross became very aware that Havoc was nearby and took off with Elicia quickly running to catch up.

"Oh great! He's loose," said Fuery.

"His destructive programming is taking effect. He will be irresistibly drawn to large cities where he will back up sewers, reverse street signs and steal everyone's left shoe," replied Havoc.

"Why would it steal someone's left shoe," asked Fuery.

"I don't know, I just thought it would be funny."

"Hey you idiots! Get moving!"

That voice on the radio belonged to Riza who was running after Elicia and the creature.

"Relax, I've got road blocks at every point in this town," said Breda. "He's not going anywhere."

He was right; everywhere Cross turned there was some form of military presence. Elicia thought he wanted to play chase so she did. They made it to a nearby park to catch their breath. Elicia then noticed someone else she knew.

"Hi Alphonse!"

"Oh, hey Elicia!"

Alphonse, Ed's younger brother was reading under a tree.

"Whacha reading?"

"Oh, some chemistry stuff. It would bore you." Al then noticed Cross. "Is that your new, friend?"

"Yeah, his name is Cross!"

Al looked at it, trying to figure out what it was exactly.

"He's, interesting."

_Interesting_, Cross thought. _That's just a nice way of saying I'm weird. _

On a bench not far away sat Riza, watching Elicia and Al. She was wearing regular clothes so she wouldn't stand out in her military uniform. Sheska was trying to find some regular clothes for herself since she didn't have a chance to go home and grab any. Riza continued to watch them till she heard footsteps.

"Excuse me, mind if I sit here?"

Riza looked to see a black haired man in a black suit.

"No, go ahead."

"Thank you," he said as he sat down. "I'm Roy."

She didn't want to use her real name so she tried to come up with a new one.

"Rita," she replied with a smile. _Rita_, she thought. _That's the best you can come up with?!_

_"_Do you know them," Roy asked referring to Al and Elicia.

_Great, he saw me starring at them. _She needed to come up with a lie and quick.

"Oh, no. It's just she reminded me of my niece."

"I see. You are not married?"

"No, why?" _That was a bit forward._

_"_Sorry, I just thought that was your daughter and son."

_Geez, I'm not that old. The young man looks old enough to be my own brother. "_So why the suit?"

"I'm working actually."

"And what is it that you do?"

"I'm a social worker. I'm working on a case right now."

"Really?"

"Yeah, although I think this one's a bit tougher than most."

"What makes you say that?"

"Let's just say it involves two kids that have been through a lot already and there's the possibility of separation."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry, I can't divulge more than that."

"I see. I apologize. It must be hard."

"It can be. Especially when you know they're trying."

Riza looked up and noticed the girl was leaving. She got up soon afterward.

"I'm sorry, but I promised I'd meet my friend later. I better get going. It was nice meeting you, Roy."

"Pleasure was all mine, Rita. I hope to see you around."

He sent her a smile that made her blush for some reason. She shook it off and made her way out of the park. She wasn't lying; she needed to find Sheska. Back at the park, the scar faced man and his companion saw the interact between Roy and Riza.

"Looks like we got our distraction," said the gray haired man.

"It would appear so. At least things will get more interesting. Get Havoc to meet us later after dark. We need a new strategy."

Later that day, Winry was working at an automail shop fixing her clients arm. Elicia was off to the side coloring with Cross pacing back and forth.

"Hey Cross, come here." Cross plopped himself next to her. She showed him a picture of the outline of himself colored in red but left a little bit of white at the top. "That's you and your badness level. It's unusually high for something your size. We need to fix that."

Cross looked a little indignant and proceeded to walk around some more. He unfortunately got too close to Winry and her customer.

"Ugh, Elicia! I told you to keep him away while I'm working."

"Winry," bellowed an angry voice. That voice made Winry cringe every time she heard it. A big burly guy walked up to her with a mean expression on his face. "My tolerance for you has gotten lower. If I hear any complaints from your station. You'll be in big trouble. Got it!"

Winry nodded, balling her fists underneath her bench. She apologized to her client and got back to work. A certain blond braided male saw the exchange and it left him seething. Meanwhile, outside. Fuery, Breda and Havoc were figuring out a way to lure the creature to them.

"What about a box," said Fuery. "We put a treat nearby, prop the box up with a stick and tie a string to the stick and when he's got the treat, pull the string and the box falls on it."

"You've been watching too many cartoons. That'll never work," said Breda.

"The bait thing might actually work though. I've got some treats I know he likes. When he comes out, Fuery will throw a sack on him and Breda you grab it."

"Why do I have to grab it?"

Suddenly, Havoc could faintly hear a whistle; he knew that he was nearby.

"Excuse me for a second guys," Havoc said as he headed off toward where the whistling was coming from. When he checked to see if Breda and Fuery were looking, he ducked into the bush.

"What is it?! I'm a bit busy at the moment," Havoc hissed at the gray haired man.

"Sorry but a mutual friend needs to speak with you."

"Well, he's gonna have to wait. I'm working on a plan to catch it."

"Alright. When you do have it, bring it to us down by the river after midnight."

"What exactly do you plan to do with it?"

"That's not your concern. Just get it and bring it to us."

"Ok, ok. Sheesh. How do you work for this guy?"

"He's not so bad. See by the river."

"Later, Fallmon."

Havoc soon returned to Breda and Fuery to put their plan in action. Havoc had some beef jerky and tied a bunch together with string. He placed it by the door of the shop and came back around the corner to wait. It didn't take long for Cross to get a whiff of his favorite treat. He followed his nose outside. Elicia noticed him wandering away and followed him. Cross got closer and closer to his prize. When he finally had it, he noticed something cover him. He thrashed and snarled and growled.

"We got it! Grab it Breda," yelled Havoc. Then Elicia came running.

"What are you doing to my dog?!"

Elicia started screaming and ran towards them.

"Oh no! What do we do," cried Fuery.

"Take her with us," said Havoc.

"Are you crazy," yelled Breda as he tried to contain the creature.

Havoc then grabbed Elicia and she proceeded to scream louder. Soon Ed and Winry came running.

"Hey! Let her go," yelled Ed.

"Great! More people! Let's get out of here," said Fuery.

While they tried to escape, Breda accidentally dropped the creature and Elicia managed to get out of Havoc's grasp. By the time Winry and Ed caught up, they were gone.

"What were you thinking?! You know better than to run off like that and not tell me," yelled Winry who was on the verge of tears.

"But they almost got Cross!"

"I don't care! We could have gotten another dog but I can't get another one of you! Don't scare me like that again!"

Winry hugged Elicia tight, trying to calm down. But the moment was ruined when another voice bellowed out.

"What do you think you are doing?!"

Not this, she thought. I don't want to deal with this.

"You left your client unfinished!"

"I'm sorry I was trying to save my sister."

"This place isn't a daycare! I've put up with you long enough! Get out!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! Leave and don't come back!"

"But my tools and my customer!"

"Forget it! Consider it payments for the trouble you gave me."

Winry's anger was boiling over. She looked him straight in the eye.

"Fine! I hated working at this dump anyway! Let's go Elicia."

Winry grabbed Elicia's hand and started for home with Cross following behind. The shop owner watched them go with a smug grin on his face.

"Finally, got that little twerp out of my hair."

He then felt something hard hit his shin. Ed was steaming.

"You stupid idiot! You just let the best automail mechanic go! I'll be getting her tools for her and if you come for them! I'll kick your other shin, among other places! Got it!"

Ed grabbed Winry's toolbox and caught up with them.

"You didn't have to do that Ed," said Winry.

"Eh, don't worry about it. The guy was a jerk. Those tools were yours."

"Winry, did you lose your job because of Cross and me," asked Elicia tentatively.

Winry shook her head no and smiled.

"The guy was actually a vampire. He was hoping I'd join his legion of the undead."

"I knew it," she whispered.

They finally made it to Winry and Elicia's home. Ed said goodbye and walked away. When they made it inside, Elicia did her best to make Cross feel at home.

"This is a great home! You'll like it a lot!"

"Elicia."

Elicia grabbed a pillow and showed it to Cross.

"Looks comfy right?"

Cross then pushed Elicia down and was about to rip the pillow then Winry stopped him.

"Hey! What is the matter with you?!"

"Be careful of the little angle!"

Cross then ran toward the kitchen.

"That's not angel Elicia! I don't even think that it's a dog! We just have to take him back."

"He's just cranky cause it's his bedtime!"

"What are you crazy?! I can't sleep while he's loose in the house!"

"You're loose in the house all the time and I sleep just fine!"

Meanwhile, Cross was trying to find a snack. He noticed a blender that still had remnants of a smoothie inside. He pushed a button causing the contents to spill out and onto him. Winry came in and grabbed him as he growled and snarled at the blender.

"Look at him Elicia! He's obviously mutated from something else! We have to give him back!"

Winry started to drag him to the door.

"He was an orphan and we adopted him! What about familia?!"

"He hasn't been here that long!"

"Neither have I! My mom said that familia means family."

Winry was opening the door; but as soon as she heard what familia meant, she closed it. Much to Cross's amazement.

"Familia means family. Family means..."

"Nobody gets left behind," said Winry.

"Or?"

"Or forgotten. I know, I know. I hate it when you use familia against me."

Elicia stuck her tongue out and Winry responded in kind. Cross managed to get out of Winry's grasp and followed Elicia to her room. Exhausted, Winry fell down onto the couch; worrying about what to do about her job situation. Then the phone rang.

"Hello," said Winry.

"Hey Winry, it's Ed."

"Ed? Why are you calling?"

"I just wanted to know how Cross was settling in with you guys."

"Well..."

Winry told him what had happened a few moments ago.

"Wow, he's sounds like a handful."

"Yeah."

"Any idea what he might be?"

"I think he might be a koala," said Winry heading toward the Kitchen. "An evil koala. I can't even pet it. He keeps staring at me likes going to eat me."

"What are you gonna do about a job?"

"I don't know. I'll start looking tomorrow."

"I've said this before and I'll say it again. You should have your own automail shop."

"What?! Come on be serious."

"I am serious. I know you're the best and I'm only gonna come to you for my repairs. I'll pay you a fair price, too."

"I don't know Ed."

"At least think about it."

Meanwhile, Havoc, Breda and Fuery were watching the house.

"Tell me again why we are here," said Havoc.

"It's our punishment from Riza for earlier today's debacle," said Fuery.

"I could have been sleeping on a nice bed, but noooooo, I have to sleep on the ground next to a bunch of idiots," said an angry Breda.

"Hey, if you hadn't have dropped the creature, we wouldn't even be here," snapped Havoc.

"Well if you hadn't had to go and break the rules we wouldn't be in this mess at all," Breda snapped back.

Havoc just glared back and looked back at the house. He could see in his binoculars that the creature was causing chaos in the little girls room.

"Well, it's not a city but at least he's doing what he's programmed to do."

"I don't get it. How could something so small cause so much damage? Why not make him bigger," asked Fuery.

Breda looked at him in surprise.

"Don't tell me you actually agree with what this guy did?"

"No I am not agreeing with anything. Just wondering why he's so small to begin with."

"Well, he was only a test really. To see if we could make something strong enough to fight our battles for us. We went small just in case something would go wrong." Havoc looked again to see the creature look around as if he was lost. "Here's something interesting. He was designed to be a monster but now there's nothing left for him to destroy. I never gave it a greater purpose."

"So now it's going to go through an identity crisis now," asked Breda.

"Perhaps. I am curious to see how the little girl handles his destructive behavior."

Back inside the house, Cross looked over the mess he made. Now that the room was trashed he didn't know what else to do; he was made to break things. With nothing left to break, he perused the book shelf. For a little girl her taste in books was unusual. He pulled a book on the art of flying; then one on how to grow mold and one about deep sea fishing. He then pulled one of her story books and flipped through it until he saw a particular story. He dragged the book over to Elicia and woke her up to show her. She rubbed her eyes and saw the picture he was pointing to. It was a little duckling crying.

"That's the ugly duckling. See, here he is sad because he's lost and alone. But on the next page his family hears him crying. Then the ugly duckling is happy because he finally knows where he belongs."

This seemed to have struck a nerve for Cross. Being able to feel like he belonged to a family started to sound very appealing to him. Elicia then grabbed a record.

"Wanna listen to The King? You look like an Elvis fan."

They stayed up the rest of the night listening to classics from The King.


	5. Chapter 5

Later that night; Havoc managed to sneak away to the river to meet Fallmon and the scared faced man. When he arrived, they were already waiting for him.  
"Hey guys! Sorry I'm late. Breda took forever to fall asleep, and…"  
"Can it Havoc, where is it," said the scared faced man.  
"Where's what?"  
"The creature you idiot! Where is it?!"  
"Oh that, you see what had happened was that we had it and then we lost it."  
"What," said Fallmon.  
"Look, we ran into some problems and it got away. I swear I'm getting close."  
"If you don't deliver by tomorrow; we're taking it for ourselves and you can go rot in jail," said the scared faced man.  
The next day, Winry was walking down the stairs when she heard a knock at the door. She answered to see none other but Ed with a huge bouquet of roses.  
"Ed? What are you," Winry began.  
"Winry, I know I'm not the best at this but; will you go out with me?"  
Ed's face was bright red as well as Winry's. She had secretly hoped Ed would do this; she couldn't believe it to be true.  
"Sure," she replied with a big grin.  
The next thing she knew, Ed had dropped the roses and grabbed Winry in a tight embrace.  
"Winry," said Ed in a soft voice.  
Winry's heart was beating out of her chest. She'd never seen Ed act this way; much less towards her.  
"Ed?"  
"Winry."  
Ed leaned in for a kiss. He kept repeating her name; and it started to sound like Elicia. Just as they were about to kiss, Winry woke up. Elicia was standing by Winry's bed with Cross next to her.  
"Winry!"  
"Whaaaat," groaned Winry.  
"Check this out." Elicia turned the record player on and then placed a single finger from Cross on it. She then opened his mouth and Elvis' song "Suspicious Minds" began to play. Winry was a bit shocked that he could do that, but she was a bit peeved.  
"You woke me up, for that," she deadpanned.  
Then, she heard a knock at the door. With her dream still fresh in her mind, she hoped that it was Ed with a big bouquet of roses. She opened the door, expecting her dream; it turned into a nightmare. There stood Roy Mustang in his black suit and sunglasses and one very stern look.  
"Heard you lost your job."  
"Well…I had just quit that job. And, uh; the hours just weren't conducive to raising a child."  
Meanwhile, Cross walked up behind her. He took one look at Roy, growled and threw the book he had in his hand at Mustang's head, knocking his sunglasses off.  
"HEY!"  
"I am so sorry about that," cried Winry as she grabbed Cross.  
"What is that thing?!"  
"That's my puppy," said an enthusiastic Elicia, who appeared at the door.  
"Really," questioned Mustang suspiciously. He turned his attention back to Winry. "Thus far you have been adrift in the sheltered harbor of my patience. But I can't ignore you being jobless. Do I make myself clear?"  
"Perfectly," Winry gulped.  
"And next time I see this 'dog' I expect it to be a model citizen. Capisce?"  
"Uh, yes," said Elicia.  
"New job. Model citizen." He put his sunglasses back on. Ignoring a lens that popped out. "Good day."  
After he left, Winry replayed his words in her mind. She knew if she didn't get a job soon, Elicia would be taken away. She searched her closet for something appropriate to wear for interviews. But all she had were jumpsuits covered in grease and oil, jeans, t-shirts and a few tank tops; nothing that would work. But, she remembered a trunk in the attic full of her mom's old clothes. Surely there was something there. She made her way up to the attic and found the trunk. After rummaging through it, she found a simple black suit and blue blouse.  
"I hope this fits," she wondered aloud.  
A quick change later, it surprisingly did fit. She also found a pair of black pumps to complete the look. If she didn't know any better, she looked like her mom. Winry tried her best to keep her tears in; she missed her. She missed her a lot. Now more than ever. She tried to walk in them but quickly realized how much her feet would be hurting if she walked everywhere in them. So, she decided to wear regular shoes and would change them when she went inside to apply for jobs. Unfortunately, Elicia and Cross had to come along. She thought about asking Al or Ed to watch them but she didn't want to bother them. With the wanted ads in hand and her sister and their pet in tow; they went to as many places they could that were hiring. Much to Winry's dismay, her experience was lacking for many places and others had already filled their positions. They stopped at the park for quick break; mostly to give Elicia a chance to play while Winry weighed her options while sitting on a nearby bench. Unbeknownst to her, Riza and Sheska had been keeping an eye on them. Making sure they stayed far enough away for them to not notice.  
"Poor girl," said Sheska. "I hope she can get a job soon."  
Riza's heart went out to Winry. Call it maternal instinct, but she wanted to encourage Winry to keep trying and provide a listening ear but her current task was to just observe them. Sheska however, sensed Riza's plight.  
"You want to go over there huh?"  
"What?"  
"It's ok. I won't report it if you won't."  
Riza decided to do it. She did her best to look casual as she approached Winry's bench.  
"Excuse me, may I sit here?"  
"Sure," said Winry as she scooted over.  
"Which one is yours," asked Riza.  
"That's my sister with the strange looking dog," said Winry as she pointed to Elicia and Cross.  
"Does your mom work during the day?" Winry went silent for a moment. Riza immediately regretted her question. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."  
"It's alright. My parents died when I was little so I had been raised by my grandmother. Elicia isn't really my sister but I was good friends with her parents and she clung to me like she was my little sister so most people assumed she was. Her dad was killed in the line of duty and was raised by her mother. Then about a year ago, her mom and my grandmother passed away. Her mother wished for me to take care of her. But it seems the state thinks otherwise. Now I have this social worker breathing down my neck about getting a job."  
Riza thought for a moment and realized that Roy was the social worker assigned to her case.  
"I'm sorry that you're having a hard time. But, I believe it will get better."  
"Right now, it sure doesn't seem like it."  
"Just hang in there. Something good will happen eventually."  
Riza gave her a warm smile. For some reason, Winry started to believe her.  
"Thank you. I'm Winry by the way."  
"Riza. I know it's hard but you have to keep trying. It will pay off."  
Winry smiled back, feeling a little better about her situation. Meanwhile, Elicia was trying to give Cross some lessons on being a model citizen.  
"Ok Cross. It is my duty to teach you how to be a better dog. So, with this obedience training book, you'll be the perfect example of a good dog. First up is sit."  
Cross just looked at her. There is no way she is going to get me to...wait, does she have; jerky, he thought.  
Elicia took out a piece of jerky and dangled it in front of him. His eyes grew wide and the drool started to drop from his mouth.  
"If you follow these commands you get a treat."  
Cross began to growl. As if he would stoop so low as to perform stupid tricks so he could get that delicious, meaty beef jerky. With his resolve fading his promptly sat on the ground. Elicia tossed him the jerky.  
"Good. Let's move on to down."  
Elicia pointed to the ground. Cross obeyed and was given more jerky.  
"Excellent. Now, roll over."  
Elicia made a motion with her hands to show roll over. He hesitated, but once he caught a whiff of the jerky, he rolled over.  
"Good dog! Now, let's do shake."  
Elicia held out her hand. Cross then grabbed Elicia's hand and literally began to shake her.  
"WHOA-OAH-OAH-OAH!"  
Winry saw the commotion and said good bye to Riza and then went to get Elicia and Cross. Once Winry was gone, Riza hear another familiar voice.  
"So I'm confused. Is your name Rita or Riza?"  
Riza turned to see Roy standing behind her.  
"Uh, hehehe. Sorry. It was a reflex. It's Riza."  
"Since when is giving a fake name a reflex?"  
"Long story. Care to join me?"  
"Wish I could but I have other business."  
"I understand. I probably should go anyway." She walked over to Roy and whispered in his ear.  
"I know that young lady is your case."  
"I see."  
"I know you're just doing your job but, try to show a little more compassion. It seems to me she hasn't had much in her life."  
"I'll keep that in mind."  
After Winry grabbed her sister and dog, they picked up Winry's job search. More places turned her down for her lack of experience or positions already filled. She finally found a cafe who was willing to hire her. While she and the manager talked, Elicia decided it was time for Cross to show his skills.  
"Ok, let's show everyone what a good dog you are."  
Elicia gave Cross some commands and he performed them with the promise of jerky. Soon, a crowd had started to gather. Cross smirked and decided to up the ante. He performed tricks that Elicia hadn't taught him to do and even more people stared to show up. The crowd got too close and it made Cross panic.  
"Don't crowd him," Elicia cried.  
Cross began to lash out at the people and they screamed and ran away. Some people inside the cafe began to run out. Winry and the manager saw what was going on and the manager looked at Winry with a frown on her face and shook her head no. Winry and Elicia went to go sit down on a bench. Winry was getting frustrated. If she didn't get a job soon, she'd lose Elicia. She buried her face in her hands and failed to notice two people heading their way.  
"Hey Elicia," said Alphonse.  
"Hey," she replied back.  
"What's with the long faces," asked Edward.  
"We've been having a bad day," Elicia replied.  
Ed and Al looked over at Winry who hadn't even acknowledged them. Then Al got an idea.  
"Hey brother, didn't you say that you wanted to go that carnival just outside of town?"  
"No," Ed began till Al elbowed him in the side and nudged his head toward Winry and Elicia. "I mean, yeah. Be nice if we had more people going."

Ed smirked and Winry finally poked her head up, eyeing the Elric brothers. Elicia's eyes lit up and she pleaded with Winry if they could go. Since she dragged Elicia around everywhere and she needed something to shake the stress of the day off; she agreed and told them she would go home and change and meet them there. Meanwhile, Breda, Havoc and Fuery happened to be nearby and figured this would be the best chance of capturing the creature.  
"But what about all the people," asked Fuery.  
"That makes it easier to grab it and sneak away," said Havoc.  
"I don't know. I'm getting a bad feeling about this," said Breda.


	6. Chapter 6

At the carnival, the place was busy and had more than enough people for Cross' liking. He hated crowds but he knew that Elicia and Winry needed some fun so he figured he'd bear it for a while. Elicia grabbed Al's hand and dragged him to the merry-go-round. Ed, Winry and Cross sat on a bench to watch Elicia and Al on the ride. Winry smiled when they went by but her face fell back into a frown; and it didn't go unnoticed by Ed.  
"Winry? Everything ok?"  
"Not really. I'm running out of time and options."  
Winry buried her head in her hands again. Ed began to fidget a little bit; he wasn't used to dealing with situations like this. Even Cross sensed something was wrong. He thought about how he could escape; he didn't need to stick around anyway. This was just temporary. But a part of him hesitated; why? He didn't need them; sure they gave him a place to sleep and food but he could find that on his own. But that little girl, he had a feeling she'd be heart-broken if he left. Why did she care? More importantly, why did he care? He then heard Elicia's laugh as she and Al came back to Winry and Ed.  
"Winry! You should try to ride it! It's fun," Elicia cried enthusiastically.  
"That's ok, you go ride it."  
"No! You should ride it! And Ed, too!"  
"I don't do spinning rides," said Ed.  
"Come on, brother. Just this once," Al retorted. "We'll sit here and watch you guys."  
Ed and Winry looked at each other and back at the two puppy dogged faces looking back at them. They finally relented and took their place in line. They didn't want to sit on the horses, so they found a carriage seat for the two of them. Winry sat on the right while Ed sat to her left. There was barely enough room for both of them so they had to sit very close to one another. They both blushed and soon the ride started. Ed happened to look out and saw a blur of faces and it made his head spin even more than it was now. Winry could tell he wasn't doing well.  
"Hey, focus on me," she said softly and a gentle smile.  
Ed turned his golden eyes toward her blue ones. He felt his breath had been sucked out of his lungs. He knew that Winry was pretty but he never really looked at her face this close. She was more than pretty, she was gorgeous.  
"Wow," he whispered.  
"What," she said back confused.  
"Uh, nothing," he said blushing and look toward the floor.  
Meanwhile, Havoc, Breda and Fuery were watching from a far; keeping a close eye on Cross and the people he was with.  
"So how do we get him away from them," asked Breda.  
"We could try the treat lure again," said Fuery.  
"No, he's too smart to fall for the same trick twice," said Havoc.  
"There's too many people around. I'd say we wait till it's the end of the day when they are tired and then we grab him," said Breda.  
"We'll keep an eye on them and let you know when to strike," came a familiar voice behind them.  
They turned to see Riza and Sheska.  
"You sure about that," asked Havoc.  
"I think we can handle it. You guys just keep out of sight."  
Riza and Sheska went over to a bench that was close to where Elicia and Al were sitting. Cross was in Elicia's lap being petted. Part of him felt a little humiliated but, it sure felt nice.  
"You know, my sister likes your brother."  
"Yeah? Well I think my brother likes your sister."  
"They need to get together. And I have a way to do it."  
"Oh really? How."  
Riza was doing her best to try to listen in while Sheska managed to sneak away to make a phone call.  
"It's about time! I need an update on your progress!"  
It was High Councilwoman Armstrong.  
"I'm doing the best I can ma'am. It's hard to keep up with everything. We are getting close to capturing it."  
"You better be. Otherwise I'll be in need of a new assistant."  
After she hung up, Sheska made her way back to Riza.  
"Where were you?"  
"Just taking care of some business."  
As the day wore on, Al and Elicia did their best to make sure that Ed and Winry rode rides together. On the roller coaster, Winry grabbed Ed's hand and buried her face in his chest. On the Sudden Drop ride, Ed kept his focus on Winry so he wouldn't get dizzy. Cross was getting very confused by it all. Why was Elicia and Al going out of their way to get Winry and Ed together? It made no sense to him. He also didn't understand why Elicia wouldn't let him out of her sight and sometimes let him lick her ice cream and eat the rest of her hot dog and then scratch his head. Why was she being so nice him? Havoc never treated him like this. He just thought of him as an object, something to be observed. As confused as he was, he felt strangely happy. He was happy that someone cared for him like this. Like, he could belong with them. But with him being stubborn and prideful, he felt that he needed to run before he got too attached to them. It was close to sunset when Elicia decided to she wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel. She of course would ride with Al and Cross while Ed and Winry rode together. Ed and Winry's car stopped when it was at the top and they could see the view of Risembol.  
"Wow, what an amazing view," awed Winry.  
"Yeah, amazing," said Ed. He wasn't looking at the scenery.  
"Ed? Are you ok?"  
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine."  
"You've been acting weird all day."  
"Weirder than my brother and your sister? Why did they make us ride those rides together?"  
"Yeah, I wonder."  
There was a brief moment of silence between them before Ed decided to speak up.  
"Do you feel better?"  
"What?"  
"I mean, you looked like you had a rough day before. Are you feeling better?"  
Winry thought about it. Sure the job hunting wasn't a complete success but it's been one day; surely an opportunity would turn up.  
"Well, I'm still worried but I can't give up. I have to keep trying."  
"You know Al and I can help you if you need it."  
"I'll try to remember that," said Winry as she smiled at him. Suddenly her mind shifted to her dream the other night of Ed. Instantly, her face turned red which made Ed confused. Meanwhile down below, Elicia, Al and Cross where sitting on a bench eating hot dogs waiting for the two lovebirds to come down.  
"You think they're kissing up there," asked Elicia.  
Al spat his hot dog out.  
"What do you know about that," he asked.  
"I read her diary once. She's had some weird dreams about your brother. Especially one involving them in a bed together."  
"I think you shouldn't read that anymore. At least till you're older."  
Elicia just shrugged it and continued to eat. Cross held a very confused look on his face. Not too far away, Sheska was doing her best to contain her laughter.  
"What an interesting child," she remarked.  
"Yes, I just hope things turn out better for them," lamented Riza. "And maybe a certain someone shows them some compassion for their situation."  
"You mean that social worker?"  
"Did I hear my name?"  
Riza and Sheska turned to see Roy standing behind them with two ice cream cones in his hand.  
"Are you following me," asked Riza.  
"No, I'm keeping an eye on my case. Seeing you here is a bonus for me. Care to join me for a bit? I can't eat both of these myself."  
Sheska nudged Riza forward.  
"What are you?"  
"It's ok," Sheska whispered. "I can watch them. And Breda and the others are nearby. Just go."  
Sheska gave Riza another push and then followed Roy to a different bench."  
"So what brings you to this festival of fun," asked Roy.  
"Oh, places like these remind me of the times I had with my dad."  
"He still around?"  
"No, he passed away a few years ago."  
"I'm sorry."  
"No, no, it's ok. I have to focus on the good memories otherwise I would not have been able to move on."  
"That makes sense."  
Roy and Riza continued to look at each other. Riza was starting to get worried. She's never been this open about herself to anyone; so why him? A stranger no less. And what's with that goofy grin? Meanwhile, Fallmon and the scar faced man were looking on.  
"Are you sure about this," questioned Fallmon. "She's just a little kid."  
"If we're going to get it, we'll have to get them both. And besides, if we let her go she tell the authorities and we can't have that."  
"I didn't sign up to kidnap children."  
"You will do as your told or I will drop you off back at that God-forsaken frozen prison."  
Fallmon and the scarred faced man continued to watch Elicia, Al and the creature.  
"I'm thirsty," said Elicia.  
"Ok, I'll got get some lemonade. Wait right here ok," replied Alphonse as he walked to a drink stall.  
This was Havoc and the others chance to grab the creature, but the scarred faced man and Fallmon also took the chance.  
"I'm going for it," said Havoc.  
"Be careful," said Breda.  
Just as Havoc approached Elicia and Cross, he spotted Fallmon just inches away.  
"Wait," Havoc cried.  
Elicia looked and saw Fallmon grab Cross. She screamed at him but then, the scarred faced man grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth. Both Fallmon and the scarred faced man ran off. Al heard Elicia screams and tried to go after them. Al called his brother Ed to let him know Elicia was in trouble. Meanwhile, Sheska witnessed the kidnapping and ran to tell Riza.  
"Riza! We have problem!"  
"What's the matter?!"  
"They took her! Along with the creature!"  
"What?! That idiot Havoc!"  
"It wasn't Havoc! Someone else has been after them!"  
"Is there something wrong," asked Roy.  
"I'm sorry, but I gotta go," said Riza as she and Sheska ran off.  
Cross was struggling in Fallmon's arms and Elicia squirmed in her captors grasp.  
"Hey! Let her go!"  
Fallmon and the scarred faced man look to see Al, Ed and Winry running right behind them. Ed and Al tackled the man who had Elicia and managed to get her free. But they kept going with Cross.  
"What about Cross," cried Elicia.  
Ed and Al quickly ran back towards them. Winry looked over Elicia.  
"Elicia, look at me baby are you hurt?!"  
"No, I'm fine."  
Just as Ed and Al caught up with them, Havoc, Breda and Fuery were struggling with Fallmon and the scarred faced man over Cross. Al managed to grab Cross and soon, police sirens began to sound. Havoc and his men ran one way while Fallmon and his companion ran the other. Ed and Al made their way back to Winry and Elicia; when Elicia saw Cross she grabbed him and hugged him tight. A strange feeling began to settle in; she was worried about him and he felt bad for her to be scared. He actually liked being with this little girl. How strange for him to find someone to care for him like that. It was more than Havoc ever did. Winry happened to look up to see Roy Mustang a few feet away from them. A stern look was plastered to his face.  
"Guys, wait right here ok?"  
Ed and Al watched Winry approach Roy with concerned looks on their faces.  
"Look, I..."  
Roy held his hand up to silence her.  
"I know you're trying Winry. But you need to think about what's best for Elicia. Even if it removes you from the picture." Tears began to form in Winry's eyes. "I'll be by in the morning for Elicia. I'm sorry."  
Riza and Sheska were watching. Sheska let a few tears shed while Riza approach Roy.  
"This isn't fair to them."  
"I have a job to do. Just like you, Councilwoman Riza."  
Ed and Al approached Winry with Elicia in Al's arms.  
"Winry? Is everything ok," asked Alphonse.  
"Is there something we can do," asked Ed.  
"No. I...I need to take Elicia home now. We have a lot to talk about you know. Thanks."  
Winry took Elicia from Al and they both headed for home. Cross just sat there with a sad look on his face; he knew something was wrong but he didn't understand what. Ed, however was getting increasingly mad. He lunged at Cross but Al stopped him.  
"This is all your fault! They had a chance! And then you came along!"  
"Brother, calm down!"  
The Elric brothers left Cross sitting there alone.

**Sooooooooo soooooooorrrrrrrryyyyyyyy! Finally managed to get some mojo back to write this bad boy. Sorry for making you wait for so long.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for taking so long with this. Life and other ideas got in the way but thanks for sticking with me.**

Cross slowly made his way back to the house. By the time he got there, the sun had long since set and the moon was on the rise. The house looked dark and he figured they were already asleep. On his approach, a duck walked in front of him. It looked at him and then turned its head to quack and soon little ducklings came running and they were on their way. Seeing that reminded him of the story Elicia showed him and the feelings of wanting to feel like he belonged somewhere. He noticed that there was a light coming from the back of the house. He walked forward to the backyard and found Winry and Elicia sitting in a hammock with tiki torches lit. They were facing each other with Elicia's back to Cross. Winry's face had a solemn expression; one of pain and sadness.

"Elicia, honey," she began fighting the tears starting to form. "We have to, uh..."

"Don't worry. You're nice and someone will give you a job. I would."

Winry did her best to keep her tears from coming out. How could she tell her now? With a heavy sigh, she opened up her lap and Elicia crawled forward. Winry gently wrapped her arms around her sister and thought of the song her mother sang when Winry was little.

"Night has come

The day is done

Rest your head for now

Close your eyes

For dreams so sweet

Safely in your bed

And while you sleep

I'll keep you here

Here in my heart"

Winry held Elicia tight as she noticed Cross sitting below looking back at them. She scowled at him and his ears drooped and he turned his head. Eventually, he followed them back into the house and made his way to Elicia's room. While she was getting ready, Cross moved her pillow to find a picture of Elicia with her mom and dad, wearing his military uniform.

"My daddy died in the line of duty. My mom said he's a hero. Mommy ended up getting in an accident; someone ran a red light. What happened to yours?" Cross stiffened; not sure what to answer. "I hear you cry at night. Do you dream about them?" Cross walked toward the bookshelf as she continued to talk. "I know that's why you wreck things. And push me." Elicia climbed into bed. She saw Cross head toward the window with a book in his hands. "Familia means family, family means nobody gets left behind. But if you want to leave you can." Cross looked back one more time before jumping out the window. "I'll remember you though. If I remember everyone that leaves." Elicia closed her eyes as a few tears escaped. Cross made his way into the woods behind the house. When he got a good distance away, he opened the book to the duckling story; the page that had the duckling crying and saying he was lost. Cross tried to squeak out the word, "lost."

"La-la-lost. I'm lost!"

And Cross waited. The next morning, Havoc, Fuery, Breda, Sheska and Riza were reeling from yesterday's events.

"Well, what now," asked Sheska.

"We get that creature before those other guys do," said Riza.

"What I don't get is that how did they know that we're even here," wondered Fuery.

"Yeah, it's as if they knew where to find the creature," said Breda.

"Must be a coincidence," said a nervous Havoc.

"You know what else is a coincidence? You sneaking off in the middle of the night while we were surveilling it," sneered Breda.

"What do you mean," asked Havoc nervously.

"I noticed you were gone so I followed you; I saw you talking to a man with a scar in his face and another guy I couldn't see but he had on a uniform!"

Before Breda could continue, Sheska's phone rang. She picked it up and placed it on speaker.

"Uh, Sheska here?"

"WHAT IN THE SAM HILL IS WRONG WITH YOU! Do you have any idea the amount of trouble you all caused?!"

"But, ma'am; we didn't factor in another party going after the creature as well," replied Sheska.

"Is Riza with you?! I need to speak to her!"

"I'm here," Riza replied.

"Riza! I expected better from you on this!"

"I am sorry Head Councilwoman, we will do better next time."

"Forget it! I'm coming there and I will capture the little monster myself!"

Then, the line went dead. Everyone fell silent; unsure of what to do. Riza stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going," asked Sheska.

"I'm going to find Roy and explain things to him. You all pack up and meet me at the train station in an hour. We head back to Central."

"But, shouldn't we wait for the Head Councilwoman," asked Fuery.

"Trust me, when she handles things you don't want to be anywhere near her," replied Riza as she exited the room.

It was Havoc's turn to stand up. He gathered up his gear and headed for the door.

"Well, if you'll excuse me; I have a creature to catch."

The others protested.

"Are you crazy," Fuery yelled.

"We can't go after it now! The Head Councilwoman is on her way," cried Sheska.

"Besides; you are still in military custody. You aren't going anywhere," said Breda.

"Think about it. It will take her hours to get here plus those other guys will probably go after the creature too. Might even hurt the kid it's with. Better us than them."

"He's got a point," said Fuery.

"Just who were those other guys," wondered Sheska.

"The one with the scar is the guy who was the real brains behind my experiments. The one in the uniform is our mole in the military. He was supposed to let us know when we were close to getting caught but, you see how well that turned out."

Before anyone could react, Breda shoved Havoc against the wall.

"And you didn't think to mention these guys to us before?!"

"I was hoping for them to just wait in the shadows and have us do the hard part and they would swoop in and take the creature and I could escape with them. I didn't expect them to take an active role. Look, we can stand here and argue about ethics or we can go protect a little a girl."

The others just stared at him, contemplating what he was proposing. They packed every thing up and went searching for the creature. They made their way to the woods by Winry and Elicia's house.

"Hey guys! I'm picking up a heat signature and its big."

"Alright, you guys I'm going in," said Havoc. "We don't want to spook him if all of us go in at once."

"You have five minutes and if you don't come back, we're going in," said Breda.

Havoc nodded and slowly made his way into the woods. Cross had fallen asleep on top of the book. The he heard footsteps. He strained his ears to figure out what and where the sound came from. Then, he spotted Havoc inching towards him with his weapon drawn. Cross was just about ready to run.

"Ah, don't run. Don't make me shoot you. You are expensive. That's it, come quietly."

"Wa-waiting," Cross squeaked out.

"For what?"

Havoc looked down to see that he stepped on the book."

"Family."

"Look, to put it simply; you don't have one. You were made in a lab."

"But, maybe I could," Cross began.

"You were built as a weapon. Do you honestly think you could fit in with regular society? It would be better if you come with me," said Havoc as he approached Cross, but Cross turned to run. "Nononononono! Don't run! Don't run!"

Meanwhile, Winry was sitting at the kitchen table just staring at the clock. Waiting for Roy to come get Elicia. Then, Elicia walked into the kitchen.

"Elicia, I didn't hear you get up." Winry quickly wiped a tear before she was noticed. Elicia just looked sad and didn't respond. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Cross left," Elicia said sadly.

"Really?"

"It's good he's gone. He didn't want to be here anyway. We don't need him."

The look on Elicia's face broke Winry's heart. She knew she tried hard to work with him to make him a good pet. Almost like how Winry tried hard to raise Elicia. She got up from her chair at the table, kneeled down and hugged Elicia.

"It's ok baby. Sometimes you try your hardest but things don't always work out the way you want them to. Sometimes things have to change and maybe they're for the better."

Winry was half trying to help Elicia and half trying to convince herself that this was for the best. She then heard knocking at the door. She hugged Elicia tighter, until she heard a more familiar voice.

"Winry!"

She got up to answer the door to find an exasperated Ed.

"Ed? What are you doing here?"

"I think I found you a job," he said while panting.

"You what?!"

"Old man Howell's store, but we gotta hurry!"

"Oh yeah! Give me a sec!" Winry turned to Elicia who came into the living to see what was going on. "Honey, I need you to stay here a few minuets. Lock the door and don't answer it for anyone ok!" Winry then turned and ran down the road with Ed. "I owe one big time, Ed!"

"That's cool! How about free apple pies?"

About a minute later, Cross came running out of the woods with Havoc and the others behind him.

"Get back here you little," began Havoc through gritted teeth.

Inside the house, Elicia was about to go upstairs when she heard the door opening and saw Cross run in.

"Cross? What are you..."

Cross shushed her and pulled her into a hiding spot. Havoc ran in with his gun drawn. Breda followed after him.

"You sure there's nobody home," Breda asked.

"He would be stupid to come back here," replied Havoc.

They searched the house while Cross and Elicia hid under the couch. Cross was just about to pull Elicia out when Breda spotted him.

"There you are!"

Breda fired but Cross dodged it and he ran to the kitchen. Elicia crawled out from the couch and ran to the kitchen too. She got Cross to the laundry room and to the back door.

"Hurry! If we make it to," she started as she opened the door. But Sheska and Fuery were both there.

"Oh thank goodness you're ok," cried Sheska but got the door slammed in her face.

"They're all over the place," Elicia cried as they ran again but not before Havoc took a shot but missed.

Sheska and Fuery ran in after they heard the shot.

"I thought I told you to not get in the way," Havoc hissed.

"You almost hit the girl," yelled Fuery.

"I wasn't going to!"

"Here's a thought, try aiming correctly," Sheska yelled.

Then, they heard Elicia talking on the phone. Meanwhile, Riza had managed to catch up to Roy at his hotel. He wasn't exactly thrilled at seeing her.

"I owe you an apology," she started. "I shouldn't have lied to you about who I was but you have to understand the position I was in. It was unfortunate that our assignments crossed paths. Even though it might have seem that I used you to get closer to those girls, know that I really did enjoy our time together. I just thought you should know that and if we could, maybe start over. I know it's a lot to ask but I would regret not clearing the air before we both had to leave."

Roy looked at her for a moment. He had to admit, he enjoyed spending time with her, too but, he needed to know something.

"So all the things you told me about your life; any of them true?"

"Only the parts about my job and why I am here were not true. It's surprising to me at how easy it was to tell you those things. I don't normally share with anyone about my personal life."

"I would like to start over as well," said Roy as he extended his hand and she took it and shook it. "I'm Roy Mustang and I am a social worker."

"I'm Riza Hawkeye and I am a member of the council."

A few seconds later, Roy's phone rang.

"This is Roy."

"Hello? Roy Mustang? Some people are attacking my house."

It was Elicia. He knew it was her immediately.

"What?! What do they want?!"

In the background he could hear shouting and things breaking.

"They want my dog!"

"Everything's under control," cried Sheksa. Riza heard her.

"Who was that," Roy cried.

"Oh good, my dog found the chainsaw," said Elicia.

"Elicia! Don't hang...she hung up. What is going on?!"

"I think I know. Those idiots! Let's go!"

Back at the house, Cross came at Fuery, Breda and Havoc with the chainsaw but he hit parts of the house instead. As Havoc dodged the next attack, he heard something beeping. He looked to see a bomb of C4 was activated.

"Uh-oh!"

"What? What's wrong," asked Breda.

"Everyone get out! This place is gonna blow!"

Sheska immediately grabbed Elicia and ran outside.

"We're leaving them behind," she cried.

"Trust me! This isn't gonna end well," Sheska yelled.

Breda, Fuery and Havoc took one last sweep of the house to try and get Cross. When they couldn't find him, they ran out of the house and a few seconds later, it exploded.


	8. Chapter 8

Winry was just finishing up her interview at the grocery store.

"Thank you so much! You won't be disappointed! I'll show up to help with the early morning..." Winry was interrupted by sirens. She saw the fire trucks and police cars fly by in the direction of her house. "No!"

She saw Al drive up in his truck with Ed in the bed of the truck.

"Winry! Get in," shouted Ed.

Winry jumped in and Al drove as fast as he could to her house. When they got there, firemen were trying to take care of the fire of what little was left of the house. Winry was on the verge of losing it when she saw Elicia in Roy Mustang's arms. She barely paid attention to the woman next to him as she rushed toward Elicia.

"Elicia!" Roy glared at Winry and he promptly put Elicia in the car. "Please! Don't do this," she cried.

"You know I have no choice," he replied coldly.

"NO! You're not taking her! I'm the only one who understands her! You take that away she won't stand a chance!"

"You're making this harder than it needs to be."

"But you don't know what you're doing! She needs me," cried Winry as Ed and Al came up behind her and kept her from jumping the man in the suit.

"Is this what she needs?! It seems clear to me that you need her a lot more than she needs you!"

"Now hold on a moment," yelled Al. "These two have been through a lot and you can't just come here and destroy what little they have!"

"Boy, I will not tolerate such disrespect! I have a job to do and I'm doing what is best for Elicia!"

"How do you know what's best for her," cried Ed. "Winry has done the best she can! It's not her fault she couldn't find a decent job in time! You gave her an unfair deadline!"

"Say one more thing and I will have you arrested for obstruction!"

"Not while I'm here," said Riza standing in front of Roy. "I know your hands are tied but give these girls a break; please."

By now, Winry was a mess and Ed was doing all he can to keep her from collapsing. Al looked into the car and noticed the backseat door was open.

"Elicia's gone," Al cried.

"What," gasped Roy.

Winry's legs gave out, but Ed held her up.

"It's okay, we'll find her," he said soothingly.

"Let's spread out," ordered Riza. "Roy, you and I will search to the east. Winry, you go west with your boyfriend. And you," she said pointing to Al. "Stay here in case she comes back. Let's move!"

The search for Elicia began. Meanwhile, Elicia was running through the woods behind her house; trying to get away from the fighting. She figured out that Mr. Mustang was going to take her away and she knew she needed to run. She could hear them calling her name but she didn't answer back. She eventually **stumbled** upon Cross; she was not pleased to see him. Cross had something in his hand; he held it out to Elicia. It was a picture of her and her parents, with some slight charring on the edges.

"You've ruined everything," said an angry Elicia as she took the picture.

"S-s-sorry," he squeaked out.

Elicia shoved him.

"Get out of here Cross."

But before Cross could say anything, a net encased them both. Fallmon and the scared face-man stepped out from their hiding spot.

"Throw them in the back of the truck," said the scared-faced man.

Ed and Winry just happen to stumble upon them. They saw both Elicia and Cross in the net.

"ELI..."

Ed quickly slapped his hand over Winry's mouth.

"Shhhhh! They might take us, too! It wouldn't do any good if we all got captured!"

Fallmon threw the net into the back of the truck; he eyed Elicia.

"What do we do with the girl?"

"She's seen our faces so we can't leave her here. Who knows, if it doesn't eat her; she might make a good test subject," snickered the scared-face man.

The two men drove off but, Winry managed to get out of Edward's grasp and chased the truck. Cross managed to get free and climb out and left Elicia behind. The truck picked up speed and Winry could no longer keep up; she dropped to her knees in disbelief. Ed finally caught up and noticed Cross on the ground as well. His rage at it began to rise and he stormed up and gave it a kick.

"Ok talk! I know you have something to do with this! So where's Elicia?!" Cross didn't answer right away. "Talk! I heard you could!"

Cross shook his head. "Ok, ok," he squeaked.

Ed gave him another kick for good measure. "Where's Elicia," he yelled again.

Before Cross could say anything, Havoc, Breda, Fuery and Sheska ran by.

"There it is," yelled Breda.

Havoc launched a net and Cross was captured again.

"Step aside kid, we'll take it from here," said Breda.

"No! That thing knows where Elicia might be and he was going to tell me until you idiots showed up!"

Winry at this point stood up and approached the group.

"Please, where is Elicia," she cried softly.

Sheska felt guilty about the whole thing as well as Fuery. Breda shrugged and Havoc decided to play dumb.

"Who?" Sheska smacked him. "What?!"

"Elicia. My sister." Winry's resolve was about to crumble.

"Uh, sorry. Don't know who you are referring to," said Havoc.

"You idiots! You know exactly who she is," Winry shouted.

"Yes, we do," Sheska said sadly.

"Bring her back," demanded Winry.

"We can't. We have to get back to Central now," answered Fuery.

"Yeah. We're just here for him," said Havoc pointing to Cross.

"So, she's gone," questioned Winry.

"We're sorry," said Breda.

They began to walk away dragging Cross with them; ignoring Winry's cries. She sank to the ground and sobbed. Ed carefully sat next to her and pulled her close; in which she clung desperately to his shirt. Ed thought about going after Elicia, but he wasn't sure how. He had no leads and he needed to make sure Winry would be ok. Edward glared at the military group walking away from.

"Heartless jerks," he muttered under his breath.

Cross then managed to get free from his bonds and cautiously walked toward Ed and Winry.

"Familia," he said.

"What," sniffed Winry.

"Hey! What do you think you are doing," shouted Havoc as he grabbed Cross.

"No! What did you say," cried Winry as she grabbed Cross back.

"Familia means family. Family means no..."

"Nobody gets left behind," Winry finished.

"Or forgotten. Yeah," said Cross.

Silence fell on them. Then, Cross spoke up in his own unique language; roughly translated to, "I need your help." It was directed toward Havoc who seemed to be the only one who understood him.

"WHAAAAAT?! After all you've put me through! You expect me to help you just like that?! Just like that?!"

"Yes," Cross replied.

"Fine," said Havoc.

"Fine?! You're doing what he says," cried Breda.

"He's...very persuasive."

"Persuasive," yelled Fuery.

"What exactly are we doing," questioned Sheska.

"Rescue," said Havoc.

That got Winry's attention.

"We're gonna get Elicia?!"

"Yes," said Cross with a smile.

They all began to formulate a plan.

"Ok Havoc. Do you have any idea where those two are headed," asked Breda.

"I know there's an abandoned house just outside the city limits," said Havoc. "That's a good place for them to lay low."

"But how do we get there," wondered Sheska.

"Ed, the truck," said Winry.

"Yeah, let's see if Al is still by the house."

Back at the house, Al just paced back and forth waiting for anyone to come back. He then saw Ed and Winry run up along with Havoc and the others.

"Hey brother, what's going on? Did you find Elicia?"

"I'll explain later. Do you remember that old house that's just outside the city limit?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"We need to get there right now," said Winry hopping into the cab. Al jumped into the driver seat while Ed sat next to Winry. Havoc and the others jumped into the bed of the truck. Just as they drove away, Roy and Riza just came out of the woods.

"Hey! Wait," cried Roy.

Riza noticed her team with them as well.

"What are they up to," she thought to herself. "Get in Roy! We're going after them," she said getting into the driver side of Roy's car.

"Why are you driving?"

"Do you want to argue or find out where they're going?! Move!"

**Lost some motivation for this for a while, but I'm making a comeback and plan to finish.**


End file.
